Convertible ballast-car



n. HLNDAHLi CONVERTIBLE BALLAST CAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8,'1919. A

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

Il l ll. I llllllllllillllllIrllll,

l tions to form side walls of the car.

last cars.

.perra s'rrs DAVID HINDAHL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO .RODGER BALLAST COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF MAINE.

CONVERTIBLE BALLAST-CABA'.

YLernrate.

T o all whom t may concern.' y

Be it known th.t I, DAVID HINDAHL, a citizen of the United States, residinof at Chicago, in the county of Coolrand tate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Ballast-Cars, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to convertible bal- In my co-pending application SerialNo. 27 8,333, led February 21, 1919, I have disclosed a convertible ballast cary having a plurality of convertible parts the positions of which are changed in converting the car from a lflat bottom car to a center hopper or center dump car, and vice versa. On referring to such application it will .be noted, among other things, that there are convertible side members which when the car isarranged as a center dump car, are in inclined positions; said members extending downwardly and inwardly from the sides of the car towardthe center thereofto ,form

central hopper side walls. When the car is i .arranged asa flat bottom car, these same convertible members are in vertical posi- These convertible members, are large and heavy. Accordingly, it is extremely diflicult` and burdensome to lift said members manually .from their inclined to their vertical positions.

Therefore, one object of my invention is to facilitate the shifting of these convertible members in a simple and novel manner.

by means ofthe arrangement disclosed on the accompanying sheet of drawings, in

which the single figure is a transverse sectional view of a convertible ballast'car embodying my invention.

For a complete description of the various parts of the car proper, attention is directed to my'co-pending application hereinabove `referred to. Only. such parts will be deperform other functions.

specification of Letters Patent. Patented Alm 12, 1921;

Application iiled November 8, 1919. Serial No. 336,576.

scribed hereinV asl relate particularly to` the invention here involved.

Referring to the single figure of the drawi ing, it will be noted that I have yshown a convertible ballast car having sides 10, ends 11 anda bottom including a central hopper V 12, the walls of which below the floor line lare formed by aninclined stationary wall 13 and a normally inclined movable wall 14;

in the form of a door by means of which the loadmay be .dumped centrally of the car.

VThis door may be provided with any suitable operating mechanism-15; In this parof the-car above the floor lineinclude con-v vertible members 17 which when they are in y their verticalpositions'form side walls of the car, as shown inv full lines at theright# hand side ofthe figure and in'dotted lines at the left-hand side of the ligure. These members are arranged Vin their vertical positions when the bottom of the car is a flat bottom, that is to'say, when the centrali.

vhopper 12 is covered by means of any suit-A able members, such as disclosed ink my said co-pending application. When the car is arranged as 'a center dump car the members which cover the hopperwhen the car is ari ranged as a flat bottomcarare removed to Also Awhen the car is arranged as a center dump vcar the convertible members 17 are shifted from their vertical positions inte inclined positions, as shown in full lines at the left-hand side of the figure and indotted lines at the When thev right-hand side of the figure. convertible members .17 are in their inclined positions extending downwardly and in- Y wardly from the sides of the car toward-the center thereof, said members form central hopper side walls. These` convertible members 17, as mentioned hereinabove, are large and heavy, and accordingly it is extremely.v

difficult and burdensome to lift or shift the convertible members 17 from their inclined positions to their vertical positions. 'Accordingly, I Vhave provided meansy whereby said convertible members may be shifted automatically and by power otherthan manual by means of their operative association with dump doors forming a part of the bottom or floor of the car. -The doors 18 rcferred to are side dump doors which Vvpivotally connected at their inner ends to the sill members 17. As is understood in the art, tnese side dump doors are operative to dump a load to the side of the tracks priinarily when the car is arranged as a flat Vbottom car although in my co-pending application, Serial No. 278,333, filed February 21, 1919, I haveV shown an arrangement whereby the load may be dumped to the sides of the car when the latter is arranged as a central hopper or center dump car. Eachw of these side dump doors k18 is raised Sinto its horizontal or closed position by any suitable door operating mechanism, which in this particular case includes a cable 20, the lower end of whichvis operatively secured to the outer end of its associated door 18, the other end of the cable 20 in each instanceV being operatively secured to a ro-V tatable lshaft 21 whichmay be rotated inany suitable manner. In my present arrange- Y ment I provide-an operative connection or connections between the side dump doors 18 and the convertible side members 17 ,f so that the'convertible side members may lbe shifted or lifted from their inclined positions vto their vertical positions.

ticular arrangement I have shown a rigid Y member 22 whichl is insertible between 1 vertible member 17.

the outer edge of the side dump door 18 and a bracket 23 carried by said con- The lower end of the rigid connecting' member 22 preferably engages the cable 20 in order that it may be vproperly retainedl in operative position. By means of this arrangement it is appar- Y ent that as the side dump door 18 is raised from Yits lower or 'open position intoits raised orV closed position, with ther rigid member 22 interposed between said door and f therconvertible member 17 while the latter yis in its inclined position, said inclined memberwill be raised into its vertical posi- -tion asindicated.

It v will be understood that the convertible member is to be steadied during its shifting movement. This may be done either manually iorv by some suitable Yguide means. In any event, the shifting of the convertible member 17 from one position Yt'o another is of an automatic character, said member in each` case being easily and quickly shifted by means of the arrangement hereinabovedescribed.

Y It vis my intention to cover all modifications of the, invention falling within the spiritand scope of the following claims.

VI claim: p o

1l Ink a convertible car having sides, ends and a bottom which may be converted from ahopper bottom to a 'fiat bottom, each side In this Y par-k including l` a convertible member movable Y froman inclined position in which it forms a hopper wall, `to a vertical position, said bottom including a dump door, and means whereby said convertible member -may be shifted through an'operation of said door.

2. In a convertible car having sides, ends and a bottom which may be converted fromV a hopper bottom to a fiat bottom, each side a hopper bottom to a flat bottom, each sideV including a convertible member movable from one position to another for different car arrangements, said bottom including'a dump door separate from said convertible member, and a connection between said convertible member and said dump door whereby said convertiblemember may be shifted through anoperation of said door.

e. In a -convertible car having sides, ends and a bottom which `may be converted from a hopperbottom car to a flat'bottom car,

'each side Vincluding a convertible member movable from an inclined position in which it forms a" hopper wall, to a vertical position, said bottom including ,a side dump door, and means whereby 'said convertible member may be shifted from its inclined position to its vertical position through an operation of saidjdoor.

5. In a convertible car having sides, endsv and a bottom which may be converted from a hopper bottom toa fiat bottom, each side including a convertible member movable from anv inclined position in which it forms a hopper wall, toV a vertical position, said bottom including a side'dump door,foperat ing mechanism for said side dump door, and means interposed between Y said door and convertible member wherebyl the latter is moved through the actuation of the former.

6. In a convertible car having sides, ends and a bottom which may have ,a central hopper and.v also beV arranged as a flat bottom car, each side including a convertiblev member movable from an inclined position 'in which it forms an inclined hopper wall, to a vertical position, saidbottom including a side dump door, door operating mechanismV for said side door, and a rigid connection between Ysaidside dump door and said convertible member whereby the latter maybe raised into its vertical position during the closing movementof saidY dump door. o -Y 7. In a convertible car having sides, ends and a bottom which may be converted from a hopper bottom toa Hat bottom, each side Viio isck

including a convertible member movable from an inclined position in Which it forms an inclined hopper Wall, to a vertical position, said bottom including aside dump door, operating mechanism for said side dump door including a flexible member, and a rigid member connecting said convertible member With .said side dump door whereby the convertible member Will be moved into its vertical position during the closing move- 10 ment of said door, said rigid member engaging said flexible member for maintaining'theformer in operative position.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 4th day of November, 1919.

Y DAVID HINDAHL. 

